untitled
by elienta
Summary: A random vignette about Serenity and Endymion in another life.


This was just a random story idea that has been bothering me for awhile - a sort of speculation on Serenity and Endymion's many reincarnations.  
What if, in one of their lives, they died not remembering their past lives? There wasn't enough to create an entire fic, so I just wrote it as a sketch.

* * *

_"Serenity... run!"_

_The golden-haired princess was pressed against the wall, trembling with fear. Tears were overflowing from her blue eyes, as she stared helplessly at  
the bodies sprawled on the floor. Her senshi, her friends... always they had seemed so strong, it seemed impossible that the broken bodies on the  
floor could belong to them. In her lap she cradled Venus's golden head, Blood trickled from her wounds, staining Serenity's silver gown._

_"Serenity...for ... the love... of the Moon ... _please

_"Too late." Beryl purred, grinding her heel into Venus's limp hand. The Senshi cried out in pain, her teeth clenched with helpless fury, her eyes losing  
focus. "Your Senshi are dead, Serenity, your people are dead, and mostly likely your mother is dead as well. Give up. Give up and surrender to me,  
and I will spare you your life, if nothing more. It's more than you deserve."_

_"I will not!" the child-princess drew herself up, her eyes hardening with resolve. "You have not won yet, Beryl!"_

_"You fool! I have already won!" Beryl screamed, furious at the light that shone from Serenity's eyes. Dark energy crackled in the air, surrounding Beryl  
as she gathered it for a final blow. "Die, Serenity, die and despair, knowing that your kingdom will lie in dust and ashes and be forgotten!"_

_Serenity curled herself over Venus's now lifeless body, barely able to breathe for fear and sorrow and rage. She braced herself for the pain she knew  
would come..._

"OW!!"

I yelped in surprise, dropping my book as I fell in an ungraceful heap on the snow-crusted sidewalk. The book flew through the air like some weird-looking  
bird before falling with a soft crunch on the snow beside me. "Ooohhhh..." I winced. I should have known better than to try and read a book while walking  
through Tokyo in the middle of December. Hopefully no one would recognize me in this crowd.

"Shit!" The person I had bumped into was hovering over me, clearly concerned. I was flattered that someone would make such a fuss over me. By now,  
most of my friends were used to my clumsiness. I could fall on my face and the most they'd do was lift a brow.

"What are you, blind?" was the next exclamation from the stranger. So much for concern. Gingerly I scrambled to my feet, craning my neck to see how  
the damage was. Luckily I was wearing jeans; the stains didn't show so much. I shook the slush off my red wool coat as well as I could.

"I'm very sorry," I ducked my head, trying to keep my voice polite. It had been my fault, after all. "I was...distracted." Trying to keep him from seeing my  
face, I bent over to pick up my book. It was a bit wrinkled, but thankfully in better shape than its owner. I had an ominous feeling I wouldn't be sitting  
comfortable for a week.

"What idiot wanders around the middle of Tokyo with her nose in a book?" The stranger sounded annoyed and amused all at once. "Does the sound of  
traffic help you concentrate? This isn't exactly the public library, you know."

I could not believe this. It wasn't enough that I had to embarrass myself on a busy street, or that I would be sporting a purple behind for the next few days -  
I had to bump into a wiseass guy who must be the biggest jerk in all of Japan. What the hell, I'd never see this guy again. I jerked my head up and glared.

"I _said_ I was sorry, jerk." I tried to look as superior as I could. It would have helped if the guy hadn't been practically a head taller than me. It's hard to look  
down on someone you have to crane your neck to look at. "I wouldn't expect you to understand the feeling of being immersed in a work of literature."

"_The Romance of the Moon Kingdom?_" he read with a smirk. I felt my cheeks grow red. "Not exactly Tolstoy, is it?"

If he hadn't been such a perfect asshole, I would have said he was cute. He had sharp blue eyes and black hair that fell over his eyes, and a smile that might  
have been nice if it wasn't so obviously smirking at me. "If you're not going to sue me for a broken nail," I said stiffly, "I'll be going now."

I whirled around, but a hand caught at my arm. "Hey, wait a minute." When I turned back, he was still smiling, but the smirk had gone out of it. I found myself  
half-smiling back before catching myself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. Actually, _I_ should be the one apologizing."

"Excuse me?" From Mr Hyde to Dr Jekyll in a heartbeat. Perhaps he was insane. I tilted my head to observe him carefully. "What do you mean?"

He laughed, holding up something in his hand. My jaw dropped. It was a book. What's more, I could see the title clearly embedded in silver. _The Romance of  
the Moon Kingdom_.

"It's pretty exciting, isn't it?" he went on, oblivious to my disbelieving stare. "I've already read it twice. How about you?"

"I..." I cleared my throat, feeling a bit disoriented. "It's my first time. A friend told me it was good."

"It is." We stood in the middle of a busy sidewalk; the crowed flowed around us as if we were a boulder sitting in a stream. I had to laugh at the situation  
at hand. I couldn't believe this.

"So who's your favorite character?"

"Endymion." I answered instantly. "He's wonderful. And him and Serenity..." I shivered with a small giggle at the thought of the two lovers. "It's too perfect  
to be true. Their love, I mean."

"Endymion can be a bit of a bastard sometimes," the stranger countered.

I laughed. "Look who's talking."

He chuckled at that. "Have you gotten to the end yet? The last battle, where Beryl is about to kill Serenity and..."

"Stop!" I shrieked, forgetting that I barely knew this guy as I clapped my hands over his mouth. "If you tell me, I will murder you right here, in this street."

He really seemed amused by that. "I'd like to see you try." With infuriating ease he held my wrists and kept my hands away from his face. "I don't know  
what you're so worked up about. Isn't it obvious what happens next?"

"I want to read it for myself!" I shouted, leaping at him in an attempt to slap him in the head.

We were standing on the very edge of the curb - I'd just been about to cross the street when we'd bumped into each other. I'm not sure what happened next.  
I remember the stranger stiffening as he stared behind me, gripping my wrists so hard that I cried out in pain. His eyes met mine for a heartbeat, and then...  
I don't know. It was as if he had just realized something, something unspeakably terrible and heartbreakingly wonderful at the same time. He looked at me and  
in that instant I felt that gaze as if it had pierced my very soul. And _something_ in me twisted…

There was a screech of wheels skidding on ice. Something yanked me around so fast the world was a blur, then I found my nose buried in wool, arms holding me  
tight. An explosion of breaking glass, the brief sensation of flying through the air, landing with a rough thud on the pavement. Then, silence.

He was lying on top of me, his body limp, and I could feel something warm and wet dripping onto my cheek. I held my breath, my hands gripping at his coat. I had  
a vague impression of people gathering around us. "Why..." I began, then stopped, afraid of how unsure and weak my own voice sounded.

"Promise me... you'll finish that book." he said, very softly, but I could still detect that faint amusement in his tone. And something else, some emotion I couldn't.  
place. I felt tears burning in the back of my throat, threatening to overwhelm me as the life left his body.

* * *

"Usagi, is something wrong? You look a bit pale."

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"What about dinner?"

"I already ate." I nearly tripped in my hurry to get up the stair - I didn't have the strength to talk to anyone after what had happened that afternoon. I slammed the door  
behind me and curled up on my bed, _The Romance of the Moon Kingdom_ in my hand. For some reason a prickle went up my spine as I opened it to the last page,  
where I had been reading.

_Her eyes flew open at a familiar voice, screaming in pain, and she stared, horrified, to see Endymion standing over her. The blast had taken him full in the back.  
Blood stained his mouth, but he was smiling at her as he fell._

_Distantly she heard herself scream, scream until her throat was raw with pain, pain she barely felt as she stumbled over Venus's body to fling herself on Endymion.  
He lifted a hand to touch her cheek, and then his hand dropped lifelessly onto the polished stone._

I was surprised to see a drop of water fall onto the page, blurring the letters. Hot tears were running down my cheeks. Why was I crying? It was what I'd expected. But  
I couldn't stop. _Promise me you'll finish that book._ Why had he said that? I was so sure there would be something there, something unexpected, something that would  
tell me _why_ he had died for a girl he'd just met. I felt as if something were wrenching at my heart, causing me to double over, fighting to keep my sobs from being overheard.  
I lay on my bed that night, and I wept until my throat was raw and I had no more tears, wept for a man whose name I did not know.


End file.
